Aug 1, 2020 7:00 AM

10 Ways to Stay Connected With Loved Ones During the Pandemic

Whatever the distance, these ideas will help you feel closer in trying times.

If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED

Featured in this article

Image may contain Interior Design Indoors Human Person Electronics Screen Monitor Display and Home Theater

Image may contain Advertisement Collage and Poster

4 / 10

Safe to say a lot of us are missing partners, friends, and family right now. With the pandemic requiring folks to isolate at home as much as possible, the people you normally meet up with for weekly drinks or monthly get-togethers are suddenly available only through a screen.

But even before the pandemic began, people have looked for ways of staying connected to far-off loved ones. We're lucky enough today to be able to communicate without spending extra money—if you have a phone, you can call, text, or video chat at a moment's notice. Still, it feels sometimes like there's a layer of real human connection missing.

Here are a few ideas that go beyond just a phone or video call, including long-distance activities and products designed specifically to connect two people. Some of them might seem a little gimmicky, but when you're missing those you love, it can be really nice to have a dedicated way to show you care.

For other ways to keep your sanity during quarantine, check out our guides on staying social, keeping calm while stuck at home, co-op games and games you can play over Zoom. Plus, make sure to check our guide on how to take care of yourself.

Photograph: Sami Sarkis/Getty Images
Have a Socially-Distanced Movie Night
Remote Streaming
There's nothing like a movie night to make you feel nostalgic about childhood sleepovers or trips to Blockbuster. The good news is that you can now have movie nights remotely. No, it's not quite as good as cuddling up on the couch together with shared snacks, but for now it's great.
WIRED writer Boone Ashworth put together an expert guide outlining how to host a virtual watch party. There are a few options to choose from. With Zoom, only one person needs to have a streaming subscription, but picture quality isn't great. Netflix Party works with shared profiles if the account is on the Netflix standard or premium plan, and the video quality is better and it has text chat. Scener has video chat, so you can see and talk to each other while watching, but you will have to sign up for a separate Scener account. Hulu Watch Party lets participants who share the same Hulu account join through their individual profiles, and it has a text chat feature. Amazon Watch Party requires everyone involved to have a Prime account, and you can't watch rented or purchased movies, just what's included with Prime content.
Photograph: Kinga Krzeminska/Getty Images
Start a Book Club
Read Together
We're spending the majority of our time indoors right now, and for most of us, that means a lot more idle screen time. Starting a remote book club with your friends will force you to put your phone down and get back to reading. Plus, it gives you a dedicated meeting time to catch up and see each others faces via video calls. Have everyone pick a book and start reading. I've personally opted for some lighter fare, specifically, Trixie and Katya's Guide to Modern Womanhood.
If you're fast readers and already own a bunch of books, you can start a traveling book club, where the person who owns the chosen book reads it and then mails it off to the next person. Then once everyone is done, you discuss it. This works better with only two or three people, so you're not spending too much time in between meetings, but it adds another layer to the book club idea, à la The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

Photograph: Aura Frames
Share and Display Photos
Aura Digital Frames
Aura's frames are a stunning display of the growth of digital frame technology. Photos don't look pixelated at all, and it does a great job of looking like an analog frame. This is great for anyone who has a stockpile of digital photos (most of us), but the real draw is you can connect friends and family members in the Aura app and they can add photos to the rotation. It's a great way to see the latest from another household without even uttering a word. The downside is that folks without an internet connection won't be able to use it. The Carver and Mason frames are the cheapest options from Aura (the other frames are more expensive, unfortunately). You can use them in portrait or landscape position.
$179 at Amazon
$179 at Aura Frames
$179 at Target
Photograph: Getty Images
Another Photo Sharing Option
Google Nest Hub and Google Photos
Google Photos offers a few ways to share memories with family members. You can set up Partner Share, which sends your partner any photos you take of them (and vice versa). You can also permanently share photo albums with friends and family, and new photos of familiar faces will be added as soon as they're snapped, so everyone can see the latest. It's available on iPhones and Android phones. You can also share photos with people who don't use Google Photos via a web link.
There are ways to see these Google Photos albums on smart displays too. You can connect the service to the Google Nest Hub, for example. It's one of our favorites for its compact size and its lack of a camera, ensuring a little more privacy. (We also have tips to keep your smart speaker or display more private.) There are also plenty of other Google-powered smart displays you can choose from, at a variety of price points, and what's nice is you get more bang for your buck than with a digital photo frame. You can ask Google Assistant anything, use Google's Duo service to video call with loved ones, or even watch Netflix while you're cooking.
$90 at Best Buy
$90 at Walmart

Photograph: Sanga Park/Getty Images
Send Letters
Snail Mail
One summer in middle school, my best friend and I both got ourselves grounded. To stay sane, we sent letters in the mail with hand-decorated envelopes. This pandemic is the perfect opportunity to brighten up someone's day (and support the USPS) by sending them mail that isn't just coupons or bills.
Ecru has a ton of cute stationary sets, and there are plenty of greeting cards on Etsy that will suit various styles you might be thinking of, as well as vintage post cards. Or opt for simple blank paper and envelopes and decorate them as I did. You can also check out a greeting card subscription service called Warmly, which sends you four curated cards and two stamps either monthly or every other month, depending on your needs.
$12 at Amazon (Paper and Envelopes)
$15 at Ecru (Stationary Sets)
$5 at Etsy (Greeting Cards)
$11 at Warmly
Photograph: Mattel
Play a Board Game Remotely
Virtual Game Night
WIRED writer Jess Grey wrote about how to have a game night with your friends over Zoom. Yes, it's possible to play board games over the web! Not everyone will need to have a copy of the game, which makes it a whole lot easier to wrangle a group together. It'll take some patience to get it down, but Pictionary, Do You Know Me?, Clue, Yahtzee, and Bluebeard's Bride are all possible to enjoy with a group of people in separate houses. You can also try a digital title like Jackbox, which is a great party game.

Photograph: Friendship Lamps
Light Up the Room
Friendship Lamps
When two of these lamps are connected—you set them up with a group ID that you're provided when you order—you can let the other person know they're on your mind by tapping the metal plate, which sends your chosen color to the other lamp. Both lamps will blink that color for a few seconds, and then it stays lit up for about 30 minutes, slowly dimming (or until you hold the plate to turn it off).
Naturally, it's only effective if the other person is in the room to see the lamp light up, which is why it's great for parents who don't live with their child full-time (or grandparents) to signal good night to kids. But it can work for any two people who just like the thought of literally lighting up their loved one's life.
$269 at Friendship Lamps
Photograph: Lovesense
Stay Intimate from Afar
Ambi Vibrator
When you're in a long-distance relationship, you can start to miss intimate moments with your partner. There are different ways to be intimate from afar, but you can now add sex tech to the mix. Lovesense's Ambi bullet vibrator will work when you're together—its curved design is made to compliment your curves, so it's easy to hold in many positions—and when you're apart, as it can be controlled remotely via the app.
The Ambi is best for one person to be using the toy while a partner controls it, but Lovense offers toys that can work together while apart, if that's more your style. When two are synced together, moving your toy will cause your partner's to react. Phone sex will never be the same.
$59 at Lovesense

Photograph: Apple
Send a Message to Their Wrist
Apple Watch Series 5
If you and your partner have Apple Watches, you can send a heartbeat back and forth that you'll be able to feel on your wrist. You can send a heartbeat through your iPhone too, but that's a general vibration. The watch (and the much more expensive HB rings below) send your real heartbeat, thanks to the heart rate monitor. You don't need the latest model for this feature—the much cheaper Apple Watch Series 3 will do.
For another affordable alternative, try Bond Touch Bracelets, which are made specifically to send messages between two paired wrists. It lights up with a thin sliver of your chosen color and vibrates in a specific pattern you set—the patterns don't really mean anything unless you set it up as a code for something with your partner, but it's a nice way to let them know you're thinking about them. They're light and comfortable to wear, and there are different color bands to choose from. My partner says he can't see himself wearing it unless it's paired with a watch for a better aesthetic, which might be the case for a lot of people.
~~$429~~ $369 at Amazon
Photograph: The Touch
Feel Their Heartbeat
HB Ring
This is not a cheap option. Nor is it something anyone needs. But if the price is no object and you're a hopeless romantic, the Touch HB rings may be for you. They're slightly bulkier than you might be used to, but inside these sleek rings is a heartbeat monitor. When two are paired together in the HB app, you can send your partner your heartbeat and feel theirs in return. A thin line of color will light up along with the beat. This lighting strip was developed to "give the closest visual representation of a heartbeat in a vein," according to the company.
The boxes they come in double as chargers. Yes, you'll have to charge your rings.
$1,190 at Touch

Medea Giordano turned her shopping problem into a career as a product writer for WIRED. She covers a little bit of everything but loves health, beauty, and pet tech. Prior to WIRED, she was an assistant editor at Wirecutter and an assistant in the newsroom of The New York Times.... Read more

Writer and Reviewer

TopicsShopping relationships COVID-19